During my kitchen renovation, moving out of the house was not an option. Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or working with a contractor, here are some great tips on living through a kitchen renovation.

My temporary kitchen was inspired by this crazy guy living in a storage unit:

I don't know how anyone can live like that, but building a temporary kitchen in my dining room didn't feel much classier. At least it's only temporary. Here are the tips:

1)Temporary Plumbing

Even if you eat out and use paper plates, you're going to need potable water for drinking or hand washing. If you have a bathroom on the same floor, that could work, but here's a great temporary sink:

It's a 5 gallon water jug, easy to purchase through Amazon. I put a plastic tub to collect the waste water and emptied it in the yard every few days. It saved me probably 100 trips to my second floor bathroom.

2) Cooking

In our temporary kitchen, we had a microwave, toaster oven, and double hotplate. There are a wide range of hotplate options and prices with very mixed reviews. We paid $75 for this one from Amazon and were very pleased with it's performance. We like to cook, so the double hotplate was helpful. All of these options are great, but whenever you can, BBQ! Grilling and using aluminum foil are great ways to minimize dishes and clean up. 

3) Dust

Even with a plastic renovation barrier, dust still found its way onto every inch of our home. If you are going to live through a renovation, plan on living with dust. To protect you and your family, we recommend storing dishes, utensils and food in a covered shelf, cabinet or drawer. This will save time from having to wipe down every fork you want to use. If your contractors need to come through the house to use the restroom, put a mat down to collect the dust where they enter, or make them remove their shoes. Finally, invest in an air purifier to keep you and your family healthy. The Coway Airmega was the NY Times top pick.

4)Light and Heat

You shouldn't be expected to live without either of these for more than a day, but problems arise and solutions must be found. When PGW decided to shut our heat off on a Saturday in February, we moved our mattress downstairs in front of the fireplace and snuggled up close with our doggie. If this work is scheduled with some notice, you may want to use the opportunity to treat yourself to a nice hotel stay. Living through a renovation is stressful and tiring. Treat yourself!